A Normal Day
by Crimson Idealist
Summary: A routine ride-along turns into a demon hunt for adult Wyatt and adult Chris.


Disclaimer: Wyatt, Chris, and even Darryl Jr. (aka DJ) belong to Constance M. Burge, Brad Kern, and Spelling Entertainment. I claim no ownership.

Author's Note: This is set in my Brothers Halliwell AR and was written for storydivagirl during the charmedflashfic. In this AR, Wyatt is a cop, and Chris is aspiring to be a photographer.

"Smile!" Chris Halliwell called as he pointed his camera at his older brother.

"Chris, put that down," Wyatt responded, waving him off as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Oh, come on, you're no fun anymore, Wy." Lowering his camera, Chris stretched out in the back of his brother's car. He sighed as building after building passed him by.

While most people would be excited to go riding along with a pair of inspectors, it paled in comparison with the demons that the Halliwell brothers faced on a daily basis. On the one hand, it was nice to do something mundane, but on the other, it was boring Chris half to death.

Darryl Morris, Jr., glanced back at the younger man and smiled. "So, what exactly is this project for, anyway?"

"My visual communications class. We were supposed to choose a person and follow them around for a day, snapping pictures. In the end, we're supposed to make a slideshow of all the shots we got and present them to the class."

"Sounds like fun." DJ turned his attention to his partner. "I just hope it's a normal day for me and not a normal day for you guys." Since his parents knew the Halliwells quite well, DJ had grown up knowing that they were witches. When Wyatt transferred from the magic school to the mortal high school, DJ kept an eye on him and his secret.

Chris chuckled. "It would be nice to actually have pictures I could use. I don't think I can use a shot where Wyatt's vanquishing a demon."

Just then, the radio on the dashboard sprang to life. Chris leaned forward as he listened to the mechanical voice on the other end spit out a police code and an address. Confused, he started to ask Wyatt what it meant, but his older brother wasn't paying attention. He threw a police light on top of the car as it picked up speed. Excitedly, Chris grabbed his camera and kept an eye out for something, anything that looked interesting.

When they rounded the next corner, they saw a large crowd gathered around a restaurant. Not only were there several onlookers, but police cars also littered the parking lot. Wyatt found a spot and pulled in.

"Stay here," he told his brother as he climbed out of the car.

Chris leaned forward and protested. "Oh, come on. How am I supposed to get pictures?"

"Forget it. I'm not risking your life for pictures."

Wyatt closed his door and crawled through the crowd towards the police line. He and DJ flashed their badges and were quickly admitted into the crime scene.

"What happened?" DJ asked.

A harried uniformed police officer wiped his brow. "Some loon pulled out a gun and is holding everyone hostage. We've got a negotiator working on it, but he doesn't want to negotiate anything. He just keeps yelling for someone he calls his master."

Wyatt shot DJ a panicked look; this didn't sound promising. The young witch thanked the officer and scanned the scene. He found the negotiator standing several feet away from the restaurant's doorway. In it stood a man who looked a little younger than Chris waving a gun around. He told DJ to stay near the officer and crept closer to the negotiator. As he grew nearer, he could make out the gunman's words.

"You don't understand! They are not hostages; they're sacrifices!" The man shouted. "But I'm not to kill them until someone brings me a witch!"

Wyatt stopped short the minute he heard that last line. This certainly wasn't going to be a normal day. He turned around and surveyed the crowd. While his freezing range was rather extensive, he couldn't take the chance that someone might arrive after everything was frozen. He had to get back to Chris, and Chris had to get to either their father or the Book. Just as he took a step back towards the crowd, the gunman's voice addressed him.

"Don't move! Turn around!" Wyatt did as he was told, his brown eyes matching the wild ones of the young man. He slowly raised his hands when he realized the gun was pointed straight at him. "What's your name?"

"Inspector Wyatt Halliwell. You?" Wyatt replied nonchalantly.

The gunman's mouth split into a lazy grin. "Halliwell. I know the name and so does my master, witch!"

Chris's blue eyes grew wide when he heard the wild man's cry. He immediately pushed through the crowd, trying to get a closer view. Once he reached the police tape, he thanked his lucky stars that he never listened to his brother. Wyatt stood in the middle of the parking lot, hands raised over his head, with the gun pointed at him.

"Witch?" He heard Wyatt ask. "Come on, you and I both know there are no such things."

Before the gunman could answer, a swirl of red smoke materialized beside him. When it cleared, a man twice his size wearing a long, black cloak stood there. Chris swore under his breath. He had to get home and find out what the hell that thing was.

"Good work, my son," the monster said. "Now the sacrifice can begin. Bring the witch to me. His blood will be useful."

It only took a second but it felt like an eternity. The crowd began to yell and scream. People were running away as fast as they could, none of them understanding what was going on. One panicked person knocked Chris to the ground. He winced as his back smacked onto the pavement. He rolled onto his right side to see feet running in every direction. Taking a deep breath, he orbed.

Wyatt could hear the screams of terror erupt behind him and from inside the restaurant. Before he could raise his hands to freeze the scene, the gunman grabbed Wyatt's arms and twisted them behind his back. When he felt the barrel of the gun penetrate his side, he knew he couldn't fight off the kid. He might be a powerful witch, but he wasn't Immortal.

He thought about orbing, but he couldn't do it in a crowd of people, even if the crowd was rioting behind him. He searched for something, anything that was heavy. His eyes rested on the large sign above the door.

"Sign!" he called. Almost immediately, it orbed out from its position. Wyatt directed the tiny blue lights with his eyes until they hovered above the demon, then he let them go. The sign reformed and crashed onto the cloaked figure. For a second, he thought he was okay, but his opponent tossed the sign like it was a feather.

Wyatt struggled against his captor, but the boy was stronger than he'd estimated. Then all of a sudden, the boy went limp. He loosened his grip and fell to the ground. Wyatt whirled around to see his brother standing behind him, a large pipe in his hand.

"Boy am I glad to see you," the older Halliwell smiled.

Just then a bolt of energy tossed them off their feet and threw them onto the hood of a police car. Wyatt shook his head and moaned as he raised up onto his elbows. He glanced over at his brother.

"You all right?"

"Never better," Chris moaned.

A growl caught their attention, and they noticed that the demon was heading straight for them. Deciding that the crowd was entirely too out of hand, Wyatt threw up his hands and froze the scene. Everything, including the monster, stopped, and Wyatt silently prayed that the hostages in the restaurant were frozen, too.

"What is that thing?" he asked.

"A harvesting demon. Every year, he puts together a large sacrifice to gain more power, only he needs the blood of a witch to finish the job." Wyatt shot him a questioning look. "Orbed home and flipped through the book," Chris explained.

Wyatt climbed off the hood. "So, how do we kill it?" Chris shoved a sheet of paper into his hands.

"A spell. Ready?"

The brothers fixed their gaze on the monster as they recited the spell together. When they reached the last word, the demon burst into flames and vanished, unfrozen and screaming in agony.

Wyatt patted his brother on the back. "Thank you for saving my life."

"So much for staying in the car, huh, Mr. Overprotective?" Chris smiled as he slid the spell back into his pocket.

"Hey, I'm just thankful that you're fast." Wyatt waved his hands and the scene came back to life. "Come on, let's find DJ and then we'll worry about explaining this."

They found him trying to calm a girl who was trampled in the riot. DJ looked up at them and then out to the empty parking lot.

"Is it gone?" he asked.

"Yeah, taken care of," Wyatt explained. "Time to apprehend our criminal."

DJ waved a newly arrived paramedic over to the girl. He then stood up and wiped his brow. "Once again, a normal day for you guys."

"Yeah, but no pictures for my assignment," Chris sighed.


End file.
